The present invention relates to a network service providing system, and more particularly to a roaming service providing system covering a plurality of telecommunications carriers in mobile data communications.
In recent years, a hotspot, which is an Internet-access service using a wireless LAN system, is rapidly diffused. This type of Internet-access service using the wireless LAN system uses the wireless LAN system for an access line used by a user terminal and makes an access from there to the Internet via an existing packet switching network, an Internet service provider (ISP), or the like. Referring to FIG. 27, there is shown an example of a configuration of the Internet-access service using the wireless LAN system. If a user terminal (CPE) 5 communicates with the other party (CN) 6 on the other end of the Internet 7, it goes through a network 9 managed by a public wireless LAN service provider using a wireless LAN. If so, the user is authenticated by an authentication server 11 and then starts communication with the other party 6 on the Internet 7 after the authentication is completed.
The existing hotspot service providers mainly cover Internet accesses from fixed points at this moment: only a few hotspot service providers provide handover services for communications while traveling between a plurality of access points (radio base stations), in other words, traveling between a plurality of radio base stations. Seen from the user's standpoint, however, we need the handover services providing continuous Internet accesses for communications while traveling, as is the case with cell phones.
In addition, traveling between access points owned by a plurality of providers, in other words, roaming services are not provided at present. Since international roaming services are currently provided in cell phones, roaming services are also necessary in the hotspot services, seen from the user's standpoint.
To receive a roaming service in addition to the handover service in data communications, a user needs to contract with a telecommunications carrier having access facilities such as a specific wireless LAN through which the handover service is provided and to wait for the telecommunications carrier to start the roaming service at present. Even if the roaming service is started in this case, the roaming range depends upon the telecommunications carrier with which the user contracted. It is because a user's position should be managed that the user needs to contract with the specific telecommunications carrier. In other words, even if the user has been roaming an area under another telecommunications carrier, the telecommunications carrier contracting with the user always manages the user's position. The necessity of managing the user's position at a particular place is a technical constraint in realizing mobile data communications.
As prior art of hotspot service, there is a nonpatent literature 1;
Apr. 15, 2002 issue of Nikkei Communications (“Actual Utilization of Hotspot Service” on pages 120 to 127)